Cloth-sponging machine



(No Model.)

W. GEIGER.

CLOTH SPONGING MACHINE. N0.'371,l91. Patented Oct. 11,1887.

FIG-.1.

,mii iiiiln f 1I ///////mw///////////////////mi-W/////0///////////AlnY////// lA/Ll/ llIlI/IlllIllllll/llVIII/lll N. PETERS, Phmwunmgnpher, Washington, n.6.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

`VILlrIlLllI GEIGER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

oLoTH-sPoNGiNG MACHINE.

SPECFICATIOT forming part o Letters Patent No. 371,191, dated October 11, 1887.

(No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom it may concer-7i,.-

Be it known that I, WILHELM GEIGER, a citizen of the German Empire, residing at Gincinnati, in the county ot' Hamilton, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cloth-Sponging Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to those machines which are employed for sponging or meistening cloth and other fabrics, and in which the cloth is wound around a perforated cylinder or drum, through the pert'orations in which minute jets of steam are allowed to escape for a greater or less length of time, according to the peculiar nature of the goods; and the iirst part of my improvements comprises a novel construction of one of the cylinder-heads. This head is made of cast metal, iron being preferred, and has a neck within which is secured a short piece of pipe that serves asa journalA for one end of the cylinder, said head being chambercd and provided with a perforated partition that insures a thorough and uniform circulation of steam within the cylinder, ,as hereinafter more fully described.

The second part of my improvements coniprises a novel construction ofjournalbearing for the end of the cylinder. to which the chambered head is attached, said bearing being pro vided with astuiiingbomand having the steanr pipe communicating therewith, as hereinafter more fully described.

The third part of my improvements consists in providing the cylinder with a series of short inwardly-projecting tubes or nipples that prevent the goods from being injured by the escapeof condensed water from said "cylinder, these tubes being closed at their `inner ends, but having lateral or side openings through which steam passes before coming in contact within said nipples, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the annexed drawings7 Figure l is a side elevation of my improved cloth-sponging machine. Fig. 2 is an enlarged axial section of the cylinder, the central portion of the same being broken away, and the waste-pipe being shown in the proper position for drawing off the condensed water. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the cylinder, taken at the line Z Z ofthe preceding illustration. Fig. 4 is an enlarged axial section ofone of the nipples. Fig. 5 is a similar section of a more complex form of nipple.

A represents the main frame of the machine, and B B are jonrnatbearings, secured to the opposite sides thereof, said bearings being pierced at b b to permit the attachment of oilcu ps or lubricators. in it a short shaft, C, having an outer reduced portion, c, and au inner reduced portion, c'. The reduced portion c has a crank, D, attached thereto, while the other portion, c, of said shaft is secured within the axial neck e of a cast head, E. This attachment of the shaft to the neck may be effected in any suitable man ner; but in the drawings a pin, F, is seen pass` ing transversely through these members, c' e. Head Elias an inwardly-projecting annular flange, e', to which is attached one end of a cylinder, G, of any desired diameter and length, said cylinder being armed interiorly with a number of tubes or nipples, H, whose inner ends, h, are closed, as seen in Fig. 4, While lateral or side openings, L, are made in said nipples.

I is another cast head, having a chamber, J, and integral partition K, the latter being pierced at k. L isa channel in this partition, which channel connnunicates with an opening, m, in the side of a waste-pipe, M, the latter being furnished with a cock, faucet, or gate, m.

Head I has an axial neck, t', within which is immovably secured a short piece of pipe, N, usually of brass or other composition, the projecting end ot' said pipe being adapted to turn freely within the cylindrical bore O ofjournal-bearing B. Communicating with this pipe N is the steam-inlet pipe P, having a throttlevalve, p. (Seen in Fig. l.) Journal-bearing B has a stuffing-box, R, applied to it, for the purpose of preventing the escape of steam at the pipejoints.

S, T, and U are rollers for the cloth V to Bearing B hasjournaled ICO travel over, and V is the unwinding roller, which has a crank, w.

The operation of this machine is as follows: Throttle-valve p is normally closed, and the cylinder G is first wrapped with several thicknesses of ordinary cloth to prevent the unsponged fabric,V, coming in direct contact with the outer surface of said cylinder. Said fabric is then passed over the rollers NV U T S and wound around this wrapped cylinder as often as may be necessary, after which act the cylinder is arrested in such a position as to bring the Waste-pipe M to a perpendicular, as seen in Fig. 2. admit steam through the pipes P N, chamber J, and perforations 7c of partition K, which perforations cause a thorough distribution of steam within the cylinder G, which vapor escapes from the latter through the side openings, h', of nipples H. Consequently the steam is passed through the fabric in numerous small jets, thereby sponging the goods in afew minutes, the condensed Water escaping freely at the channel L and waste-pipe M, the cock of which, m', is now open. After the fabric has been sufficiently sponged, throttle-valve p is closed, and said fabric is then wrapped around the unwinding-rollerNT bysimply turning its crank 10. As the ordinary nipples of a sponging-machine are placed diametrically opposite each other, the condensed water frequently drops from an upper nipple and passes through the nipple directly below it, thereby spotting the goods; but by closing the inner ends of the nipples and allowing the steam to escape hrough side openings in the same, as at L,

this diliiculty is obviated. Furthermore, if k the nipples should become choked up with Throttle-valve@ is now opened to lint and ber from the goods, such obstructions can be readily removed by adopting the eX- pedient seen in Fig. 5, where the inner end of nipple H is closed by a screw-threaded plug, X, the outer face of which has a square, x, capable of being grasped by a socket-wrench inserted within said nipple. After this plug has been unscrewed the lint or other obstruc* tions can be removed in a few moments. Finally, this illustration shows the nipple H provided with a pair of side openings, li 7L".

I claim as my inventionl. The combination, in a clothsponging machine, of the nippled cylinder G H, journaled in a supporting-frame, and having at one end a head, I, which head is provided with a chamber, J, perforated partition K k, and axial neck i, for the purpose stated.

2. The combination, in a cloth sponging machine, ofthe nippled cylinder G H, having head I, neck fi, and pipe N, with the bored journal-bearing B O, said bearing having the steam-inlet pipe P attached to it, and being provided with a stufng-box, R, for the purpose herein described.

3. The cylinder G, provided with internal nipples, H, having side openings, h', and closed ends h, for the purpose herein described.

4. The cylinder G, provided with the nipples H, each having a scrcwthreaded plug, X x, engaged with its inner end, and one or more side openings, as h h, for the purpose stated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

XVILHELM GEIGER. iVitnesses:

J AMES H. LAYMAN, SEMI.. S. CARPENTER. 

